Botta's serotine (Eptesicus bottae) is a species of vesper bat, one of 25 in the genus Eptesicus. It is found in rocky areas and temperate desert.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 1869 by German naturalist Wilhelm Peters. Peters placed it in the now-defunct bat genus Vesperus with a binomial of V. bottae. The holotype was collected in southwestern Yemen.by Paul-Émile Botta in 1837.[2] Botta is the eponym for the species name "bottae."[3] In 1878, George Edward Dobson wrote that he considered it synonymous with the serotine bat, Vesperugo (=Eptesicus) serotinus.[4] By 1967, it was referred to as its present name combination, Eptesicus bottae.[5]
From 1976 until 2006, the closely-related species Eptesicus anatolicus was widely considered a part of E. bottae, despite E. anatolicus being separately identified in 1971. This conception was largely overturned by Benda and colleagues in 2006.[6] Until 2013, Ognev's serotine (E. ognevi) was also considered a part of E. bottae, until genetic analyses confirmed both as distinct species.[7]
Description
Individuals weigh 8–9 g (0.28–0.32 oz) and have wingspans of 28.2 cm (11.1 in).[8] It has a forearm length of 38–47 mm (1.5–1.9 in).[9] It has an average flight speed of 5.7 m/s (13 mph).[8]
Range and habitat
It is found in several countries bordering the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East. It can be found in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Oman, State of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and possibly Lebanon. It has been documented at a range of elevations up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft) above sea level.[1]
Conservation
As of 2021, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN. Within Egypt, it is considered locally common, though it is less common in other parts of its range.[1]
References
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^ a b c Bouillard, N. (2021). "Eptesicus bottae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T85197425A22114599. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T85197425A22114599.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
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^ Benda, P.; Al-Jumaily, M. M.; Reiter, A.; Nasher, A. K. (2010). "Noteworthy records of bats from Yemen with description of a new species from Socotra" (PDF). Hystrix: The Italian Journal of Mammalogy. 22 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
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^ Peters, W. (1869). "Las Bemerkungen über neue oder weniger bekannte Flederthiere, besonders des Pariser Museums" [Comments on new or less well-known bats, especially from the Parisian Museum]. Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussische Akademie des Wissenschaften zu Berlin (in German): 406.
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^ Dobson, G. E. (1878). Catalogue of the Chiroptera in the collection of the British Museum. Printed by Order of the Trustees. p. 191.
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^ Lay, D. M. (1967). "A study of the mammals of Iran, resulting from the Street Expedition of 1962-63". Fieldiana: Zoology. 54: 233.
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^ Benda, P.; Andreas, M.; Kock, D.; Lučan, R. K.; Munclinger, P.; Nová, P.; Obuch, Ján; Ochman, Katarzyna; Reiter, Antonín; Uhrin, Weinfurtová (2006). "Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the Eastern Mediterranean. Part 4. Bat fauna of Syria: distribution, systematics, ecology". Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae. 70 (1): 1–329.
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^ Juste, Javier; Benda, Petr; Garcia-Mudarra, Juan Luis; Ibáñez, Carlos (2013). "Phylogeny and systematics of Old World serotine bats (genus Eptesicus, Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera): an integrative approach". Zoologica Scripta. 42 (5): 441–457. doi:10.1111/zsc.12020. hdl:10261/80441. ISSN 1463-6409. S2CID 52950923.
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^ a b Holderied, M. W.; Korine, C.; Fenton, M. B.; Parsons, S.; Robson, S.; Jones, G. (2005). "Echolocation call intensity in the aerial hawking bat Eptesicus bottae (Vespertilionidae) studied using stereo videogrammetry". Journal of Experimental Biology. 208 (7): 1321–1327. doi:10.1242/jeb.01528. PMID 15781892.
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^ Kingdon, J.; Happold, D.; Butynski, T.; Hoffmann, M.; Happold, M.; Kalina, J. (2013). Mammals of Africa. Vol. 4. A&C Black. pp. 552–553. ISBN 9781408189962.
